Dirigible airship



oct. 14', 1930. PARK n AL 1,778,273

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP Filed 001'.. 2, 1929 w h l .g5/enfans Patented Oct.14, 1930 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY PARK AND WILLIAM R.LITZENBERG, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA DIR'IGIBLE AmsHIP Y Applicationled October 2, 1929. Serial No. 396,663.

Our invention relates to dirigible air ships, and more particularly tocertain improve- Y ments therein whereby we provide means for movingsaid dirigible air ship transversely of 1 L; its longitudinal aXis,whether up or down or to either side, and independently of thepropelling means.

Broadly considered, our invention contemplates the provision throughsaid dirigible air shipk body of open wells or shafts therethrough, withmeans therein or associated therewith and wholly within said well orshaft forcausing a forced draught therethrough in either direction forthe purpose of i.; causing said air ship to rise or to descend or f tomove sidewise in either direction.

In order to explain our invention, we have illustrated one form of airship with two vertical shafts therethrough and with intersectingtransverse shafts horizontally therethrough, and have shown propellersor fans Vtherein for creating a forced draught therethrough, and in theparticular embodiment of .our invention here shown for explanatorypurposes, we have shown a fan or propeller mounted in the shafts in suchposition that it can be turned up or down or to horizontal positions forvcreating such forceddraught in either direction horizontallyy through vthe horizontal shafts. y

We have also provided means forclosing each end of each shaft, realizingthat open wells or shafts would cause resistance in the movement of saidair ship. Ve havealso provided a construction and arrangement which iswholly within the body of the air ship with no projections to offerresistance to its Vforward movement. We are aware thatany suitable powercan be used, and any suitable driving connections made for driving thefans or propellers, and f y Y I tion, we have shown one fan orpropeller, as

vthat separate and independent fansv can be provided for each shaft, andthat various kinds of means can be used for reversing the direction ofthe draught created through said shafts or wells. 7e are aware that itwill not require the same power to move the air ship bodily axially ofsaid open shafts by the l creation of the forced draught therethrough,as Ait takes for propelling the air shipV forwardly at traveling speed.Ve have not shown the propelling power plants, as any suitable andstandard power means can be used and forms no part of this invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dirigible air ship embodying ourinvention, with portions broken out to show the open shaftstherethrough, and with a middle portion broken to reduce the size of thefigure;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view over one of the vertical wellsor shafts;

Figure 3 is a view showing the driving connections and motor for drivingthe fans or propellers;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing a form of closure shutters forclosing the well or shaft, there being one at each end of each well orshaft; and

Figure 5 is an edge view of the same, showing the operating means foropening and closing said shutters.

, Referring in detail to the drawings, the dirigible body isvdesignated6, with cabin 7 supported thereunder, and with traction wheels 8, .8,under the opposite ends of said icabin. The size and shape of the bodyis immaterial and forms no 'special part of our invention. We have shownno means for propelling the air'ship, it being understood that .anysuitable motor propelling means can be used. .'Our invention resides 1nthe provision of Aopen wells or shafts through the body of the airship.V In the drawings we have shown two vertical shafts,designated, 9and 10, re-

spectively, andftwo horizontal shafts, designated 11 and 12, and in thepresent showing, the horizontal shafts are positioned to intersect thevertical shafts 9 and 10.

In the `present embodiment of the inven- 13, foreachwell or shaft, saidpropeller in each case beingsupported in a bracket 14, rotatablysupported in the wall or frameof y the structure designated 15, Fig. 3,with a driving shaft 16, shown extended through Afrom one propellermechanismto the other,

as illustrated in Fig. 3. Each of the brackets 14 is provided with adrum portion 14 inside the wall structure supporting it, and is providedwith a cable 17, running to a similar drum, 18, on a shaft 19, in thecabin, and provided with a hand wheel 20, whereby the pilot or operatorcan revolve said supporting braclrets 14, 14, together for the purposeof turning the fans or propellers into dierent positions-l, for changingthe direction of the forced draught through the well or shaft.

A shaft .21T is shown extended from l a motor 22, with beveled'gear's23I and 24 atitsdower' A end, and beveled gears 25 and 26 atits :upperend for driving the shaft 16. Thewopp''site" ends of said shaft 16, areconnectedfby-fmeans Yeo of beveled gears at each end, designated 27 and28,'with the pr'opellers 13,.f1j3, as clearly sh'own, foridrivingsaidfpropellers.-

f Vilehaveiprovided. in theaends ofsaid open shafts v or `vwells,closureV shutters designated as a-whole 29, Figs. 4 an'd''',andincluding shutter L'members29, hingedly'mounted inthe frame 29a' andconnected for simultaneous operation bym'ean's of members, 'as '30,connecte'dytoalbell crank 31 and by means off an operatingirod orconnectionV 32,- extended to any suitable? orco'nvenientplace for manuallmanipul'at'ionl.` fh'isvshutter closure being old, itfiformslno part ofou'r'finvention other than a closure niean's'forA the open' shaftsywhich makes it possible for these open shafts to' be closed' whenA notusedv for the; purpose forwhich they are providedin our air ship bod-y;yf

ltF will be apparent that our'jhorizontal shafts, with thepropellers'properly adjusted 'foir-creat'ing a Yforced draught'therethrough,

can be lused in steering thefair ship, and might by!A a 'very' effectivelemergency steering and maneuvering means, andrv ilf the. propellerswere adjusted to'develop draughts indifferent directions through thehorizontal shafts,

it will be seen-that'lthe air fshipooul'd be -turnedy around about its4middle fverticalj axis,

or substantially so.

"- TWhile v'vev-lifaweshown and ,described one Vembodi-ment of ourinvention for descriptive purposes, we are aware that many changes in jthe VVgenerall construction and 'arrangement Avvcan-*be'-I'nadeywithoutv departing from the 'f 'spit thereof, and wefdo not, therefore,limi-t "our in "scribed, other than wemay be limited bythefheret'oa'ppended claims. `vflilllec'lainf'i:v A' n Y Y Y A "1. Adirigiblel airzshi'p'having an open shaft th'ere'througl'ivertically'and an open shaft 'therethrough horizontally', yaj fan forcausing v na forced draught't-hrough said open lshafts l .'for'movifng'said airshipaXially of said-open vention to the detailsvrshown-'andldetersecting open shafts through the body of said airship vertically andhorizontally, a fan for causing a forced draught through said openshafts for moving said airship axially of said shafts, said fan beingoperable for either the vertical or the horizontal shaft as desired formoving saidairship up and down vertically or sidewise, and'power meansfor driving said fan.

3. ln combinat-ionwith a dirigible airship and itsV propellingmechanism, of means for moving said air ship vertically on a horizontalL lee'l`,said means including two Vvertical open; vshafts vlthroughthe body thereof fore and aft and provided with closure shutters 1ntheir-endsfor closing saidshafts to eliminate resistance therefrom whennot in use, propel'- ler means in said shafts near the longitudinal anis`of said airship for causingv forced draught therethrough for'raising orlowering said VaIii-ship, and power means. ,for driving said propellermeans within said shafts, said propeller means beingadjustable toVVchange ythe:direction of the'forced draught.

- ln combination with a dirigible air'ship andl its propellingmechanism, of means for vmoving said airship vertically andsidewise on ahorizontal .keel and including vertical and horizontal air shaftsthrough the body of said` airship, closure shutters in theends vof saidshafts for closing'them when desired', propeller means operable toselectively create a-forced' 'draught'..through said air shafts forAraising or lowering or moving said-airship sidewise'axial-ly' oftheshaft through which the forced Vdraughtisv created, and power meansfor driving said propeller means. 'j

5. A dirigible airslii-phaving an openshaft t'l'iereth'rough verticallyland anv open shaft shafts, meafnsfor adjusting said fan fronithe'.veift'ical.*tol :the horizontal shaft at will, and

its/propelling mechanism, means for Y 65 i'maneuvering said' airshipwhich includes ini l A "therethrough horizontally and intersectingn.11"v

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